


Something Broken About This

by glimmerFae (harmicist)



Series: Get Yourself Together [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Events of Valkyrie covered, Jesse died in poland instead of Ana AU, M/M, Memory Loss, Overwatch Recall, Past Brainwashing, Possessive Gabriel, Possessive Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, side mercy/ashe, unrequited mcgenji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:41:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23710084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmicist/pseuds/glimmerFae
Summary: Jesse's got Gabriel back, but the world keeps on moving, and he's damn certain he's going to get back at the people who put a bullet in his head, and killed Overwatch. Gabriel's putting himself back together, but what he's become won't just let him go back to being Gabriel Reyes, not without a fight.Together, they are hellbent on getting justice, and while neither are thrilled by the idea of joining Winston and the new Overwatch, the world isn't keen on letting them stay dead and out of the public eye.Sequel to No Grave Can Hold My Body Down.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Reaper | Gabriel Reyes
Series: Get Yourself Together [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707646
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, quarantine, huh?
> 
> For real, though. I've been busy with work, but I've also had a time writing a whole bunch of things I've not considered working on for some time. This is guiltily self indulgent. I'm aware.
> 
> If you've not read No Grave Can Hold My Body Down, you might be lost trying to read this, I highly recommend starting there, but to each their own. The basic premise is that Blackwatch went on the mission to Poland, and Jesse died instead of Ana. If you like the sound of that, I'd love you to read it!

"Is there anything to be done about it?" Ana asked, rummaging through Angela's cabinet as they'd settled in for the longer discussion.

"I can try to run some tests here, but I don't have the equipment we really need here," Angela answered back, spritzing the still problematic wound festering on Jack's back as Jack sat, face emotionally blank as the man had finally removed the mask in truce with their current company.

"It's Moira's work, Angela." Gabriel stated, matter of fact, curled into Jesse's side. "He needs a geneticist." The glare that both Angela and Jack sent Gabriel was absolutely frosty, but Jesse wrapped a hand around the older man in support.

"He's right, you know. But we're short a lab and a doc." Jesse commented.

"And on time." Jack gruffly commented. "Just give me a few medkits. I'll be fine."

"I'll see what I can find," Angela muttered, heading back into her storage area. Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, wincing. She was irritable, and she had every right to be. The room was full of ghosts, and it wasn't hard to imagine that some of those ghosts might be unwelcome.

"What are you doing here, Angela," Morrison asks, apparently trying to break the tension, and fails when the woman snipped at him.

"Finding you some medkits- like you asked." She breathed out a quick huff, as Jack had the decency to look a bit cowed, the man fiddling with some kind of technology that Ashe takes from his hands and sets back down, shaking her head carefully at the older man.

"Reckon he means in Cairo." Ashe commented, one of the only things she'd said the entire time she'd been in here.

The woman sighed, hard, looking intently at the box. "There are people here who need help." She explained, and Ana came back in, having made a teapot for the group. Ashe thanked her quietly, grabbing the cups from the woman as she sat back down.

"Surely a hospital or a lab at a university would be better suited to you," Ana mentioned, and that hit a sore spot. Jesse closed his eyes as he prepared for impact.

"As it turns out, being a prominent ex-Overwatch official isn't the sort of experience on your CV that people are looking for," Angela snapped, and the next moment proved that her anger was surprising, even to her. "I'd prefer to keep a low profile. More than I can say about the lot of you."

Ashe shrugged as she accepted that criticism, and Jesse rubbed his neck, Gabriel curling up, cowed.

Jack scowled though, never seeming to know when to give it up. "At least my enemies know that I'm coming for them." Ana sighed, giving the man a long-suffering stare as Angela laughed, incredulous at that.

"Your enemies? You mean the United States' government, Germany's largest bank, Helix Security, and the United Nations? Did I miss anything?"

"LumériCo." Jack stated, even seeming proud of that.

"Right. Check off Mexico's biggest power company run by the universally loved war hero." Angela said, obviously vexed. "These enemies won't do anything to help your reputation."

"In his defense, Angela," Ana murmured, trying to soften this fight in a way she hadn't been able to in their worst days. "Those are collateral. It's been unavoidable with our work."

"We've gotten so close, Angela, to finding the ones responsible- to finding the truth."

"The truth." Angela deadpanned, and Jack nodded, looking a touch fanatical.

"The truth about what happened to Overwatch. About Talon. Switzerland. About everything. That's been our new mission." Jack explained.

Angela didn't seem convinced. "It sounds a lot like the old one. The only thing new is the masks."

"What would you have us do then?" Jack snapped back, far more willing to argue this than anyone else was, "Fly to Gibraltar and join up with Winston? You think the same people who brought down Overwatch won't take him down, too?" He gestured wildly at Gabriel. "They were able to do that to Gabe when we were at our most powerful. How the fuck would we defend ourselves against it now?"

Gabriel shifted, smoking as Jesse frowned. Angela and Ana both seemed to know the same truth- that Winston was only aware of the imprint of Overwatch he knew, while most of its skeletons were in this room.

"Let Winston play hero- I'm done with that. We're closer than ever to dealing with what needs to be dealt with." Jack coldly finished.

"We were all responsible, Jack. Overwatch is gone. Your personal revenge won't change anything." Angela said, looking down at her hands. Jesse didn't necessarily agree with that, shifting.

"Someone has to make them pay. I will get justice." Jack disagreed.

"Justice," She scoffed, and Morrison's face screwed up in pain. "If you keep this up, you will have proven to the world that Overwatch really did become the thing they feared. I wish you could see that."

Gabriel rasped. "I understand your point, Angela, but Jack's not wrong here." He looked at her with deep red eyes, and the woman couldn't meet them. "It's not just personal revenge. These people have done terrible things, and they're getting away with it."

"You don't get to speak to me about that." Angela cut him off, and Jesse closed his eyes, knowing all too well how much of a grudge the woman could hold.

"Maybe not." Ashe shrugged. "But regardless of whether he's always done the right thing, we can't pretend like we're not being provoked here." She stood, adjusting her hat. "Talon's making moves, and moves against us, against civilians." She faltered, obviously not used to having to defend such things.

Angela didn't know how to respond, and that was fair.

With all 6 of them in a room, it was a pretty heavy atmosphere.

"We won't be here long." Ana said, picking up Sombra's picture off the table, handing it over and letting Jesse pocket it again. "We were hoping you'd have solutions for Jack's injury before we moved again."

"Maybe we'll visit other friends while we're on our way through. Something's about to happen, and that doesn't bode well." Jack said, and finished the conversation.

XXXXX

Ana and Jack stuck close to each other, as they always had- even more so after Zurich, it seemed; the two needed each other. Ashe didn't seem to know where to put herself, but Gabriel let her stick closer to Jesse, given that Angela stared at him with ever increasing anger as she realized what it was he had done.

However, Angela also did enjoy Ashe's company. The women were a bit awkward at first, but with Jesse to warm things up between them over cards, soon enough there was less of a wall. It filled him with some sort of…nostalgia, to see some of the most important people in his life next to each other, talking to each other.

The peace didn't last long. Jack came in, dressed in his full gear again. "There's been an attack on the Anubis facility. We need to go. Now."

Gabriel reformed instantly, and Jesse stood, knowing all too well who that was. "Talon," Gabriel grunted, nodding. "They want Anubis." It's that that makes Ashe get up, grabbing her gun and slinging it across her back.

"Then let's mosey. I've been itching for a real fight."

"Helix will get the situation under control." Angela deferred, and Jesse found that he didn't think this attitude served her well. She had been bright, brilliant and bold. This was meek, worn down by years of the world's hatred. "You'll only get caught in the crossfire.

"Angela, there are people out there caught in the crossfire. They need help that Helix cannot give them," Ana interrupted before a fight broke out, Jesse, Ashe, Gabriel and Jack all ready to go. "Are you going to come with us?"

Jesse wasn't surprised at the change in Angela's expression. The woman looked conflicted, but she knew as well as any of them that Helix wouldn't be able to help the innocents caught in the crossfire. "I'm coming," She agreed, and Ana nodded as the woman turned to her boxes of old belongings, searching for the thing that made her Mercy.

XXXXX

Jack, Ana, and McCree were sent in to deal with Talon.

 _"Gabriel, we don't know how you'll react in their midst."_ Jesse had told him, apologetic. " _Stick with Mercy and Ashe."_

That didn't mean it wasn't difficult to watch the red serape fade into the smoke as Ana warily covered him and Jack as they went in to fight.

"They're not your concern right now." Angela interrupted his thoughts, gently knocking Ashe out of her hers too. "We've got people to save."

"They can handle themselves fine." Ashe agreed, though it seemed partly to convince herself.

Gabriel felt extraordinarily out of place then- his forte was killing, maiming, wounding, and _feeding_. Angela's world had never been his.

"Ashe, cover me from the skies." Angela ordered, and the woman nodded, setting up in a sniper's position. "Gabriel… come with me." Mercy grabbed his hand, and Gabriel jerked, his smoke leaking off him as he allowed the woman to take off with him in tow, descending into the chaos together.

Fighting Hakim had been one thing. He was up against his old team now, and he had to keep it together. Jesse was relying on him, to be able to change his MO. He was only good at those things before, but his powers were adaptable as they were monstrous.

They dropped rapidly, and Angela let him go as they approached the roof. He let his smoke burst out to catch him, standing up moments after Angela had approached the young girl, taking stock of the situation quickly.

The girl screamed, and Gabriel winced. Angela whipped around, tense, before recovering, and turning back to her, expression soft, "We're going to help you, give us a moment to clear this out of the way." She tried to reassure, gesturing Gabriel over hurriedly, grabbing a large brick. Her wings beat as the rocks were heavy, and Gabriel came over, careful with his claws as he took the other side and helped her move it off the small girl.

Her eyes were as wide as saucers, flitting back and forth from him to Angela. "You're," She started, recognition clear as he closed his eyes, preparing for judgment or hero worship.

"Going to help you," Angela cut in, cheerful in spite of the weight of the work between them. She sent Gabriel a knowing look. "I wish Reinhardt were here."

"Reinhardt?" The girl asked, curious, and Gabriel was grateful for the attention off of him for the moment.

"Our friend," She said, calm. "He's big, and strong, and he never stops talking."

For some reason, that felt like an attack, and Gabriel swallowed as he helped remove the last of the rubble from the girl.

Angela was who helped her stand. Gabriel stood back, knowing all too well that his presence was scary to kids, and intimidating to adults. "What's your name?" Angela asks, undeniably good with kids in crisis in a way Gabe had never been.

The girls eyes were still wide, looking from her to the black, smoking monster standing behind her. "Hanan," She said, timid, and Gabriel looked away while Mercy did her work quickly, talking to the girl, keeping her spirits up.

"We need to get to safety." Gabriel cut in at some point once the girl looked much better, eying the explosions in the distance, tuning out the sounds of war around him. Hoping they weren't coming closer, in spite of his gut warning him that his hopes were wrong.

"Wait," The girl spoke up, worried. "We can't leave- my brother is still inside- everyone else already left. They wouldn't wait." She balled her hands up, looking desperate. "Please."

Gabriel stared at the partly fallen building, and swallowed hard. Angela stood straighter, and nodded. "We'll get him out." Gabriel solidified, shoring himself up as he agreed by nodding back. "We can't leave you here, so you'll have to come with."

"Reyes," Angela said, wavering somewhat. "Can you help clear the way; I can't pick him up from here on my scanner."

It took a moment to get his body to understand the request, but he nodded. "Right." He shifted into his completely solid form, focusing hard enough on 1 set of things on his face, and brown eyes. He looked to the girl, trying to seem as human as possible. "Hanan, where was he last?" The girl was getting a makeshift mask from Angela, and she seemed nervous.

"We live 3 floors down. Room 3A." She watched him with awe, as he nodded to Mercy and vanished into smoke, darting into the stairwell, able to be faster and move with the smoke rather than against it.

Angela was quick down the stairs behind him, as was the little girl, and as they descended into the building together, Reaper and Mercy were able to open a broken heavy door together faster than they could have separately. Inside was a young boy, older than the girl but not by much.

Experience told Gabriel that the way his arm was bent unnaturally was obviously fractured. He was alive, but…in a bad way.

"Is that you, Hanan?" The boy asked, and Gabriel let Mercy work, feeling some kind of way. He was able to recall a lot of Zurich, and he remembered the pain, the suffering he went through. He breathed out smoke, shuddering, stepping back as he remembered blood, his blood, others blood- his broken form dying on the floor surrounded by bodies, no one there left alive, no one coming back.

Left behind to die amongst the dead as a disgrace, crushed underneath a legacy that had long stopped being his.

The thing that had killed Jesse…

"Reyes," Mercy called him, breaking him out of his memory, looking at him commandingly. Jesse was alive, he said firmly to the fire and smoke that burned in him. Jesse was alive, and needed him. Just like Mercy needed him now. "We need to get them out of here. Can you walk?" She asked the boy, who wavered a bit.

"I think, maybe?" He said, and Reyes shook his head.

"We should get out of here as fast as possible." He rasped, coming over to the boy and picking him up with ease. "Even if nothing else is coming, it's not safe here." He paused, freezing, hearing something he truly didn't want to hear, not coming towards them in this closed environment with little escape.

Angela tensed, and they shouted it at the same time. "Get down!" She covered Hanan, her wings bursting outwards to protect her back, and Gabriel threw himself over her front and the children as well. She wasn't strong enough to stand through it, and he caught her, taking the brunt of the blast as the wall exploded and pelted them with glass and concrete. Debris from above rained down, and Reyes grunted as he shielded the trio as best he could, blocking out the memory of being alone in a base that was blowing up from inside and out, the blood from himself and the people he'd been unable to help as he had been buried alive, left pierced, burned and damaged. The smoke teased at his memory. Bleeding out amongst the dead. Alone because Jesse was gone. Amari had killed him.

"Is everyone alright?" Angela asked, and Gabriel shuddered as the woman stood up. He nodded, checking the boys pulse, as Angela looked over Hanan, the girl curled up tight against her side, face shaken. Not alone. He wasn't alone. They weren't dead. This wasn't Zurich. Jesse was alive.

"He's alive. Just passed out." Gabriel mumbled; voice rougher than it had been as he gave up the struggle to maintain a human face in response to the blast. "Your wings…"

She looked back at them, and her face turned to a quiet terror as she noticed they were broken. He could tell, just looking at her that her Valkyrie systems were down.

"We have to get out of here." She stated, refusing to be caught here. Gabriel nodded, having no intent on staying in another building that was going to crash down on him. "Give him to me, take point, Reyes." She said, putting her staff on her back and holding out her arms for the boy. He did so quickly, and made his way to the door and stairwell. "Follow me, and be careful, Hanan." She told the girl, and Gabriel felt guilty that he didn't have words to help her now.

They were able to find the front entrance, but Gabriel heard the telltale sign of another explosion coming, the walls groaning and creaking as they prepared to give way. "Run, run for the entrance!" He heard Angela telling Hanan, and with it so close in sight, he was able to do something.

He grabbed Hanan with a clawed hand as Mercy ran beside him, the two of them racing to the front.

She wasn't going to make it out. Reaper felt his stomach heave as he refused to watch another person get crushed right before his eyes- refused the pain of being crushed again.

He stopped in his tracks, catching Mercy in his arms as she collided into him, and focused all of his remaining strength on getting out of there.

Mercy gasped in horror, Hanan's eyes were huge with shock, but the world dissipated into smoke around them as Reyes shadow stepped to the dimly lit outside world as the world came crashing down where they'd just been.

They reappeared moments later, Reyes gasping as he let them go, Hanan yelping as she was dropped suddenly, while Angela fell over, her body covering the boys as debris hit them from behind.

It wasn't the best time, but that much of a resource drain meant his body had to recover. He couldn't feed off of Angela, that'd be bad, something warred with his instincts, and Reyes passed out, falling beside Mercy, smoke surrounding the three of them.

It didn't feel like any time had passed before someone was prodding him back to consciousness. "Reyes, Angela, now _isn't_ the time for a nap." Ashe hissed, and Angela groaned as she came too as well.

"Hanan?" She called, just as out of it as Reyes felt.

"I have her." Ashe stated, the girl held tight in her arms, her gun put away for now, her foot kicking them incessantly.

Angela coughed, and Reyes resisted the urge to do the same, knowing that his black sludge would only panic the kids.

A strong hand came from behind him and yanked him up, as Ashe helped Mercy to her feet, the woman's drooping wings not doing much to help her bedraggled appearance, still dazed from being turned into smoke with the Reaper.

Jack Morrison caught Reyes as he staggered, blue eyes hard. Yet without the mask, he seemed human for the first time since Reyes had joined up with Jesse. "Can you walk," He asked, and Reyes nodded, getting his feet under him. Reyes couldn't help but notice that the garish jacket had a number of holes.

"We have to go." Ana said, Jesse giving cover fire behind them as she prowled, and Gabriel's form shuddered as he took Angela's arm and slung it over his shoulder, not one to leave a fallen teammate behind, Jack taking the boy from her in the same motion, holding him tight as they made their way out of the devastation together.

XXXXX

They couldn't be around Angela after they dropped her off in front of the emergency responder's camp. Only Ashe had been able to stay- and had been asked to. The rest of them were ghosts that would have caused a huge ruckus had they been recognized.

Jesse held Gabriel tight as he went over his wounds, Ana and Jack seeming tense, but also more relaxed to be exposed around Gabriel than they had in a while.

"You saved them." Jack said, in the quiet time they spent licking their own wounds.

"Being crushed in a building isn't fun." Gabriel breathed out smoke, coughing, letting Jesse bandage him. "You two know that as well."

Ana's expression softened, and Jack just nodded, tense. "I didn't know you could do that, Reyes."

"It's pretty new. It just takes a lot out of me." He wheezed as Jesse put something cold on his back. "Hadn't done it with so many people before. But there was no other choice. Who led the attack?" He asked, remembering vaguely he was in charge of this section of activity.

"I didn't see anyone in particular taking charge." Ana crossed her arms. "It seemed chaotic- damage for the sake of damage. Are they missing you that badly?"

"I was in charge of a lot of our activity here." He confirmed. "I don't know who would have stepped up to replace me. This kind of attack isn't Sombra's style. It's been long enough since I've been…free, that my Intel's probably bad."

"Isn't Sombra technically on our side?" Jesse asked, a bit confused by that.

Gabriel shrugged, the motion causing him some pain. "It beats me. She's had her own agenda as long as I can recall. I don't think she's on anyone's side but her own."

"She helped us get you." Jesse murmured, a hand touching his shoulder and neck delicately, examining it for wounds, but Gabriel leaned into Jesse's affection, soaking it up gladly.

"Where would they be going next?" Jack asked, pressing him for answers in a way Jack hadn't done in spite of the several months they'd spent together. Did Jack actually trust his word? The idea boggled Gabriel, who'd done his best to stay out of his way, knowing that his betrayal ran deep.

"Europe." Gabriel confirmed. "That's where Talon's main operations are. Regardless of whether or not they got what they came here for, they'd be headed back to Europe."

"So we go to Europe." Ana looked to Jack as he said that, and she swallowed, nodding.

"This is one of our best leads yet." She agreed. "We leave tonight."

"Hold up," Jesse disagreed. "We're just going to follow them?" He asked, concerned. "That seems like a swell idea to walk straight into a trap."

"We can't let them get away," Jack emphasized by shaking his fists. "They're on the run. We can follow them. Make plans once we're there."

"We need allies." Jesse shook his head. "They'll be able to spot us coming at them from miles away with how big our group is now. And if they get close to Gabriel and fuck with him somehow, we're fucked."

"Then maybe it's time we go our separate ways." Ana said, though it was clear the idea pained her. "You're right, that a big group is one that's easier to track."

Gabriel didn't blame her for the idea. It was true. "So you and Jack go after Talon." He said, nodding. "And what are we gonna do exactly, Jesse?" He turned to him, as did Ana and Jack.

Jesse faltered for a moment, obvious not having expected the question. "To be honest," He started, and he stopped quickly. "Well, I think that the monkey could use some backup, if this is a taste of what's to come."

"Absolutely not." Gabriel disagreed, frowning. "I tried to kill him less than a year ago. He will not be happy to see me."

"A former core member of Overwatch was a Talon spy, and is now working on the council. And we're fairly certain he isn't a case like you or Lacroix." Jesse explained his reasoning. "Even if we don't go ourselves, there are other people that could go."

The chip in Jesse's pocket suddenly made Jesse's idea as clear as day.

"That's a bad idea." Gabriel frowned, knowing before Jesse can speak what it is he wanted to do. Jack gave him a questioning look, raising his eyebrow. "Jesse wants to free Echo."

"Absolutely not." Jack shut down, and Jesse furrowed his brow.

"Far as I see it, it's a great idea." He folded his arms. "Y'all didn't even give her a chance. I reckon she's exactly what the new Overwatch needs. You forget, that I was her security detail. I trust that robot with our lives."

"She's too powerful." Gabriel disagreed, but he knew he'd cave to Jesse eventually. "If someone else took control of her, I don't think we could stop her."

"Morrison." Jesse stated, firm. "What we had before didn't work. We need to throw out the old rules- you know that. So I think that getting her back on the field is exactly what that new Overwatch needs to survive." He shifted, guilty. "I think it's what Mina woulda wanted."

The mention of their truly dead companion, one of the people Gabriel and Jack had picked out together to lead the charge in the original fight, was enough to take the resistance out of both of them.

"If she does get out of hand," Jack said after a long moment. "It's on you, McCree."

Jesse gave a huge grin, and he ruffled Gabriel's hair. "Hey, I was right about this guy, wasn't I? I reckon it's worth a shot."

"We'll tell Angela tonight." Ana told Jesse, and put a hand on Gabriel. "Take care of each other, will you? I'll worry that I'm not there to watch your backs."

Jesse waved a hand easily. "Eh, we're Blackwatch." He hugged Gabriel, nodding. "We'll be fine. I have my doubts about Morrison, though."

Jack scoffed, and Ana smiled. "Stubbornness will be the only thing able to kill him while I'm around." She agreed, voice lofty. "Well, we need supplies. If we don't see you before we leave…"

She paused, and hugged them both. "Don't die you two. Gabriel, if you betray Jesse, I'll kill you myself."

Jack seemed a bit more reticent to join in the affection, but after Ana punched him in the arm, he rolled his eyes and gave them both the same. "She'll have to get in line," He whispered to Gabriel. "Watch his six, Gabe. He'll get you through this. Who knows- it's a small enough world that we might be seeing each other again real soon."

XXXXX

Ashe surprised them all when she volunteered to stick with Mercy, apparently not ready at all to go back to the Southwest and do a train heist. Angela was equally surprised when the woman suggested such a thing, but allowed it.

Jesse thought it could only mean good things, but Gabriel knew lust when he saw it.

And so their group split, after Cairo. It made sense, but that didn't make it easy either.

Gabriel had improved, steadily every day since Jesse had brought him home. He was less Reaper, and a lot more Reyes.

Angela had agreed not to mention Jack or Ana to anyone else, but Gabriel had told her that she had permission to talk about him, if she wanted to.

Gabriel was surprised that the doc had eased up so much after the explosion, that she was even calling him Gabriel. Jesse told him it was because he'd saved her. He had a hard time understanding, as it was still all just makeup from what he'd done and been doing as Talon until Jesse had unintentionally kidnapped him.

They were on a hypertrain now, Jesse holding him close as the world sped past them, the two of them riding along the top of it. The man himself was dozing, and Gabriel was staring at long clawed hands.

Before, it had been easy enough to ignore his own thoughts. There was always something going on- someone was always bickering. But now that he and Jesse were alone it meant that he had to face himself again.

Jesse squeezed him in his sleep, as though aware of Gabriel's wandering thoughts, and the man tilted his head back, reveling in that softness, in how much Jesse had come to change and show everyone exactly how much they loved each other.

He was guilty about not saying it, but Jesse hadn't ever been this affectionate with him before the incident. He wasn't sure if it was having almost lost it all, or if Jesse hadn't put the pieces of himself back quite right, but Gabriel wouldn't be the person to complain. Was it selfish of him to keep Jesse to himself?

Jesse's comm rang, and Gabriel looked down at it, deciding to answer it so that his cowboy could rest. "Hey," He started, voice still rough at the edges, and Gabriel winced at the sound of it without his mask on.

"McCree?" Genji's voice met his and Gabriel froze up as the ninja coughed. "Is that you? Are you sick, or something?"

"…Yes." Gabriel lied. "I am, sorry."

"That…doesn't sound like McCree." Genji's voice slowed, and then turned icy. "Who are you, and why do you have McCree's comm?"

"…Genji…" Gabriel muttered, frustrated. "He's asleep. I don't want to wake him up."

"…. Commander?" Genji asked, bewildered. "Is that you?"

"Don't call me that." Gabriel growled, something inside reverberating nastily at the title, smoke teasing at his memory. "I'm not your commander anymore."

"With all due respect, we all thought you were dead," Genji said, incredulous. "But of course McCree found you. That's exactly like him. Finding his dead lover."

He snorted. "Trust me, you weren't far off on the dead department." 5 days after Zurich, he'd barely been more than a corpse in Moira's apartment, the woman having the gall to ignore him at first before she cleaned him off, taking off the mask and beginning to take stock of the damage.

"What are you two doing, anyways? Did McCree get the recall?"

Gabriel winced at the mention of Overwatch, shoved down false feelings of anger and outrage pushed down with expert practice, and he shifted. "McCree didn't, his comm isn't his old Blackwatch one. I sure as hell didn't. Mine's with Moira anyway." He scoffed. "He wants to go get Echo."

"Echo?" Genji asked, confused. "Dr. Liao's last project? Former member of Winston's strike team?"

"That's the one." Gabriel confirmed, shrugging. "He thinks it's a good idea. We tried to talk him out of it, but he's stubborn."

" _We_?" Genji asked, calm, and Gabriel winced.

"Shit." He muttered, and then laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine. Morrison and Amari also disagreed. But Jesse's the one who was given the chip. Still have no idea when he got it back, since it was lost in Zurich…"

"Speaking of, did anyone actually die in Zurich, or was that whole thing just a cover up?" Genji deadpanned, and Gabriel was quiet, remembering all too well the pain and suffering that came with coming back to life after being dead, body rotting under fire and smoke, consciousness given up for the yawning void. Remembered putting on a mask with a bloody hand and staggering back to Moira, alive being only the technical term, and being very far from human.

"I did die, Genji." He breathed out the smoke furling inside of him at the memory. "A lot of people did. But what Moira did to me…" He shrugged. "It brought me back to life."

Genji was apparently pretty cowed by that, and Gabriel understood it. "What were you calling McCree about, Genji?" He asked, wanting to continue the conversation and avoid that awkward point.

"I'm going to answer the recall." Genji said, a bit stilted. "I figured it was worth inviting Jesse along. He was…lost, as to what to do. The new Overwatch would certainly love to have him."

Ah. It was old jealousy, then. It wasn't that Gabriel hadn't known Genji wanted Jesse, but rather that he didn't care. Jesse hadn't noticed Genji, and had wanted Gabriel. Gabriel had held him and watched Genji simmer and simmer and simmer on it.

And then Jesse had 'died.' Not too long after Genji had left Blackwatch even. He wondered if it haunted Genji, haunted him to think if he'd just been with Jesse on that mission, he could have done something.

"They don't know he's back." Gabriel explained and denied easily. "I'll suggest it to him, but I doubt he'll agree."

It's a lie, but one that sits easy in his stomach. Jesse was already thinking about providing backup. Jesse shifted against him, and Gabriel nuzzled him, listening to the phone intently. All this extra warmth and affection, and Genji could have had it. But it was Gabriel's all over again.

" _You did this to him." Genji's voice, enraged and broken, metallic hands gripped tight around his neck. "You got him killed."_

He remembered the confrontation between himself and Genji easily. Remembers the way that Genji trembled as he yelled something in harsh denial at the news that left Gabriel just as shattered, if not more so, considering the circumstances.

He remembered that Genji had looked, and looked, and looked for clues and there had been none. He'd searched for Jesse every bit as much as Gabriel had. Probably more, since Genji had left before Zurich, had left before Gabriel's final descent into madness.

The thought cut through him like razor wire, remembering anything about that time more painful than his current condition. It dazed him, in the same way that fire made the air around it hazy.

He tapped into it now, voice rumbling lowly in his chest as the smoke managed to sedate Gabriel again. "He wouldn't have known that you cared." It felt a lot like what he wanted to say back then, even if the memory was distorted and patched over and shot through. It felt good to say it now.

"Excuse me?" Genji said, outrage in his voice.

"Jesse is _mine_ ," He growled, claws coming unbidden to hold him. "Overwatch cannot have him." The comm was squeezed by his sharpening fingers, and Reaper bared his teeth at the device, wishing he were able to put his claws around Genji's neck as Genji had done all those years ago.

"Gabriel," There was a realization in Genji's voice, and Reaper snarled at the name.

"Gabriel Reyes is dead," He darkly stated, preparing to crush the comm in his hands.

He didn't know what woke Jesse up, but something did. He could feel Jesse rescue the comm from his claws, but it was like he's watching it from miles away, black edges around his vision like its through a screen, through the fire and smoke inside him.

"Gabe, Gabe, Gabe," Jesse was saying the name of a dead man over and over again, and Reaper went limp in his arms, stretching out beneath Jesse, red eyes wide and mad as he howled against the manhandling. "Darlin, it's okay, I'm here, I'm yours," The words sent something warm and thick up his spine, and Reaper smiled with too many teeth as his arms lifted up to hug and his hands grabbed onto Jesse and his talons dug into fabric and skin until he could feel Jesse's lifeblood in his hands.

Jesse grunted in pain, and Reaper's enhanced hearing could pick up Genji's desperate words, trying to find out where, exactly, Jesse was. Trying to know what was going on.

One hand released Jesse and tried to break the comm- destroy the interloper's interference, but Jesse lashed out to catch it, stopping him. Reaper growled, turning his anger on Jesse, the all-consuming fire whispering to him that maybe Jesse wanted him, wasn't Reaper's, wanted Genji. Maybe Genji left because he'd found Jesse, and kept him for himself.

There was a prick in his neck, Jesse panting above him, and the fire burning inside him went out instantly, the smoke clearing. Reaper was left surrounded by ashes that wisped around him almost hypnotically, and Jesse's hand went to his cheek.

"Sleep, Darlin," Jesse whispered to him him, breathless, and the sky so very blue behind Jesse, and Reaper was helpless but to obey his handler, nuzzling into the warmth given to him while dark fog clouds his vision and he closed his eyes to rest.

XXXXX

He has to take a second to breath before he can pick up the phone. "Hey," He said with a cheeriness he didn't feel. "Sorry you caught me at a bad time, who's this?"

"Jesse, are- are you alright?" Genji's voice came over the line, clear as day, and that just made Jesse's brain work overtime on what the fuck could have been said to set Gabriel off like that.

"Yep, more than fine," He responded on autopilot as he worked away on that. "Whatcha callin' for, Genji? I was asleep, didn't realize Gabe would answer my comm."

There's silence for a moment, and Genji eventually spoke again. "Recall. I'm answering it." He stated, voice stilted.

"Really?" Jesse said, a bit surprised, moving Gabriel's head onto his lap with care, the man definitely asleep now. "That's unlike you."

Genji licked his lips on the other end, trying to find words. "I want to move forward. I told you that. I think this is the way forward. I was going to…ask you to come. I figured you wouldn't have gotten it."

"No, I didn't get it." He agreed, tepid. "But…well. I knew about it. We were just with Angela last week. You wanted to join up with me?"

"Yeah." Genji swallowed. "I'd thought a lot about our last meeting. You said you were looking for answers. I thought you were just looking to the past, but…well. Obviously my opinions changed about Overwatch. I thought it could be the future."

' _Our future_ ,' went unsaid. Jesse was pretty surprised to hear Genji prepositioning at all, given the way that he'd left Jesse in Japan, after Jesse had purposefully sought him out.

"What's wrong with Reyes?" Genji said instead, to change the subject, hardening up again. "He was fine at first, and then it was like a switch went off."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, making a face at how dirty it was. He needed to get a motel tonight- they both needed a shower, not having had one since they got to the states. "I'm trying to figure that out. Surely you, uh, figured that it has to do with Zurich, yeah? The full story is a helluva yarn, so I'll make it short. More or less, someone close to him who he insists _wasn't_ Moira helped, well, brainwash him." The words feel absurd in his own mouth, and he makes a face. "The past few years…and prolly before that, he's been the Reaper. And worked for Talon."

Genji didn't say anything at all, and Jesse actually paused to make sure he hadn't hung up. "I found him. And uh, sorta kidnapped him after they'd drugged him. It's been a few months at this point, and he has _mostly_ snapped out of it, but there are times he falls back into it." He swallowed. "But we mostly manage it okay. It might be a little hard, by ourselves, but…I'm sure we can figure it out."

"Where are you two right now?" Genji asked, voice strained. "McCree, you're going to get yourself killed for _real_. What happens if you run into Talon and he 'falls back into it' like how you're describing?" He pointed out, and McCree identified the rustling of clothes in the background.

"We're in the American Southwest right now." He admitted, and Genji cursed in irritated Japanese, stopping his movements, grabbing the phone roughly.

"So you're in the _one_ place that's incredibly difficult for people on your side to get to, but people with access to private planes and armies, like Talon, would make it child's play to track you."

All of a sudden, Genji's worry hit him like a train. He wasn't wrong. Gabriel was still fragile. They'd been careful in Cairo, but there had been multiple sets of eyes on him, and they'd kept him far away from the battle. Now it was just Jesse. Gabe was the backup.

"You know, when you put it like that, I regret not getting someone else to come with."

"What of Morrison and Amari?" Genji asked, innocently enough, and Jesse scoffed.

"Those two had their own business. They were going to Europe, prolly Italy." He paused, realized he'd confirmed they'd lived. Genji sighed on the other end, and McCree massaged his forehead.

"Reyes had already said as much. How long have you known?"

"They were who I tracked down after you." Jesse admitted, quiet. "They're taking down Talon. I rode along for a little while, but a big group is too noticeable for where they're going. So we bailed. Went to go get Echo. And Angela stole Ashe from me, who would have been perfect back up." He hadn't noticed, but his free hand had gone to Gabriel's hair, started to run fingers through it.

"Angela knows too, then?" Genji confirmed, and McCree made a noise of agreement, watching the crease in Gabe's brow melt back into smooth skin as unconsciousness turned to sleep.

"Yeah," He said after a prolonged silence. "Gabe and Jack fought, Gabe shot him with his fancy new toy, courtesy of our least favorite geneticist, and the wound necrotized. He needed a proper geneticist, but as we were kinda short on that, we went to Angela."

"But now it's just you and Reyes." Genji said, seeming to not know what to say.

"Just us." Jesse agreed, and he took the time to encourage Gabriel's body to return to smoke, so that he could put him away, to be slightly more mobile. "Just me right now. Gabe's gonna be out for a while."

"Jesse…" Genji's voice was quiet. "I'm coming to meet up with you." He said, decisively. "We'll break Echo out. And then we'll go together. Reyes…" He struggled for a second, and Jesse watched Gabriel's face shift in slumber, before he'd successfully convinced the nanites back into their corporal smoke form. "If what you're saying is true, he's dangerous. And he's infinitely more dangerous when there are fewer people around."

"You better be quick- we're heading to Deadlock Gorge." Jesse murmured, gently putting the ball into his serape for safekeeping. "There's a train that'll be coming overhead on the tracks that go over it. So, we're gonna use Deadlock as a cover for busting her out. If I miss this window, I dunno if I can get another one."

"I'll be there," Genji agreed, instantly. "Be careful, McCree."

"Don't worry none about me, everyone's already telling me to watch myself," Jesse said, holding tight to Gabriel. "I've managed this long alone, and of everyone, I've got the best chance managing Gabe."

"It's not Reyes I'm worried about," Genji murmured, and a spike of fear went through him at the black glint of metal in the air before him. "It's what happens if you two are caught out in the open by his ex-employers."

"Gonna have to call you back, Genji." McCree muttered, and he hung up, swallowing thickly as he stood, putting Gabriel away.

Talon's mooks were about to board the train, and the way they were doing it…no one else was around. It was just him, Gabriel's sleeping form, and a train full of innocents.

McCree recognized that playbook. He knew that those people were Blackwatch.

He made a decision, and he turned off his comm, and he stepped in on his own.

Some of his justice was about to be doled out, because Jesse wasn't about to let a bunch of Blackwatch traitors kill a train full of civilians while he was around to do something about it. He was back in the saddle, and he was well aware that he was about to surely put him on the map to the world…and to Talon as well.

Jesse gripped the metal siding of the train, and he kicked his way through the window, ready to take that step as he ever was before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad to see I'm not the only one im indulging by continuing this alternate universe! Enjoy,

By the time he was finished with those fucking mooks on the train, he was battered, and bleeding. He had a hell of a migraine too, his deadeye resisting use even now, 6 years later. Damn traitors.

The guy working the carts passed him by, still looking a bit jumpy after being held at gunpoint and having almost died there, and he handed him a tissue. McCree took it with a graceless nab of his fingers, holding it to his nose. "Sir, we arrive in Houston in three minutes," He said, apologetically. "What do you want us to say to the police- it sounds like they're blaming you for this. They plan to arrest you."

He appreciated the warning, but it didn't surprise him. On the TV, photos of his last known appearance are put up, Blackwatch uniform and all. It didn't look good, even if his comm had started blowing up. He couldn't afford to be on the phone when he was about to make a made dash from the cops.

But the man was waiting for a response, while Jesse rubbed Gabriel in his bag to collect himself. "I figured," He admitted, quiet, fingers itching for a cigar that he didn't have on him. The mocking photo of himself that appeared next- him next to Gabriel in Venice did. Damn him.

"What should we tell them?"

"The truth," Jesse said easily. "They don't wanna believe it, that's on them. But if you wanna hop on the radio, fudge our arrival time a bit…" He wiped his nose, and put the tissue into the trash. "Been a long day- and it's only getting longer. I wouldn't mind a 5 minute head start."

XXXXX

He got one, and it made the difference, even if by the end of the day he was completely worn thin and he _still_ had to deal with all the people calling him, _and Gabriel_ , whenever the man rejoined him in the waking world.

No motel tonight, he realized absently, feeling a pang of disappointment and disgust at his own form in his chest. Too likely someone would recognize him from the news.

Jesse didn't stop moving until he was as far out of their search as he could get, and then he collapses in an alleyway, sliding down onto the concrete and sighing deep. It wouldn't be his first night on the streets, and probably wouldn't be his last.

He pulled out his comm, turned it back on. Around the time of the incident airing on TV, he got 10 missed calls from Angela, 7 from Reinhardt, 5 from Torbjorn, 3 from Fareeha, 1 apiece from Jack, Ana, and Ashe. 1 from an unknown number, that he assumes has to be Sombra.

15 from Genji, all from that night- which told Jesse that he'd gotten on a plane and flown.

He called Genji first, Gabriel starting to worry him with how quiet he was after so much time. He'd gotten so used to Gabriel shaking off his 'treatments' that the fact he was still out was cause for concern.

"McCree," Genji said, instantly relieved. "Where are you? I'm in Houston, but I don't know where you've landed."

"Some back alleyway." Jesse said, surprised he'd gotten here that quickly. "I can meet you somewhere- preferably somewhere I can wash." He joked, standing back up on tired legs.

"What happened?" Genji asked as McCree checked to make sure he wasn't spotted, before he took off the hat and serape and blended into the crowd.

"Talon," He easily said, keeping an even pace. "You got anywhere in mind, bud? Houston's big, and I've been running all afternoon." There was a long moment of quiet, and Jesse sighed, a bit impatient. "Genji? Did you hang up on me?"

"No, wait a second- McCree, look to your left." Genji said, and hung up suddenly. Jesse listened, and was shocked to see a familiar chrome form running up to him.

"You're in clothes," Jesse said, stupefied.

Genji looked down at them, and then back up at him, and scoffed. "Come on, I have a room already- I landed 2 hours ago." He grabbed Jesse's hand, and pulled. "We can talk there."

XXXXX

The motel isn't much, but it's in better condition than the old Blackwatch hideout that was also nearby, and very much compromised if the last time McCree had swung through had told him anything. Where papers, and spare uniforms, ammunition and artillery had been strewn about like it was some kids' first day home alone and no one had called for a nanny.

That probably spoke volumes about his stolen childhood, but he wasn't going to examine it too closely. Genji removed his jacket when they got inside, and he revealed a tank top beneath. Jesse's jaw dropped a little bit further, but he didn't know what to say beside, "You mean to tell me that you were naked all of your time during Blackwatch and Overwatch?"

He removed Gabriel from his bag, and gently placed him down, the smoke pooling onto the floor, lazily reforming a body.

Genji seemed to not know what to do with them, then, and he eventually answered. "I was always dressed- I just…this makes me feel better." He settled on. "Small choices I can make, and all."

Jesse watched Gabriel reform, and he made a noise of vague agreement.

He didn't know what to do with Genji either.

Genji eventually settled on the cheap motel couch, and Jesse remained on the floor, watching Gabriel.

"I should," Jesse began.

"I need to," Genji started, and both went quiet at their next breath.

Genji removed his faceplate, and Jesse marveled at how much had been fixed since he'd last seen Genji's face. It still wasn't the young man he'd met at a ramen shop, but it was definitely a face. Not even a bad one either- there were lips, a jaw, a nose, the whole works.

McCree whistled. "Angela did a lot more work on you," He commented, and Genji flushed, the color a bit green, reminding Jesse of the amount of artificiality there was to him. He understood, and removed his eye patch along with his hat, settling on the floor, truly relaxing for the first time in a long time. The prosthetic came next, and he lay down on the floor, and breathed in the shitty smoke smell of the place. "She did some work on me, too. The clothes they- well, they suit you." He muttered, quiet, waiting for Genji to get his words back in his mouth.

"I have to apologize." Genji muttered. "I shouldn't have…left you to the dogs," He sounded a bit sheepish. "My master, he threw a sandal at my head when I told him."

"Your master sounds like a hoot," Jesse admitted, awkward at the apology. "Why was he mad on my behalf? I understood it plenty."

"You could have died." Genji explained, simple. "He reminded me that I left to find you, and when I did I walked away."

"You left to find me?" Jesse went blank, admittedly a bit confused by that. "You mean, after…well, Poland?"

"I didn't leave until after we put Doomfist behind bars." Genji said, calm. "Which was another couple of months after your…incident. After that, because my mission with the Shimada was done, I thought I would find you. Gabriel was convinced you were alive out there, injured. So I did what he could not. I went after you."

He looked down at the black smudge on the carpet that was still deciding whether or not it wanted to form a human body. "Is that really the commander?"

"It's Gabe." Jesse confirmed, dumbfounded by his words. That Genji cared.

"How much do you remember, McCree?" Genji asked, and McCree stiffened at the question. "You mentioned memory loss. How much did you lose?"

McCree's jaw worked as he thought on how to answer it. "I have, well. I have pieces- enough of the puzzle to get the big picture. But I'm sure I'm missing…details. Here and there, there are holes with no explanation. Reckon I've got most of the corner pieces, but some of the connections between em are gone."

"What's something that you know you're missing?" Genji asked, not letting this drop.

"What happened on the night in Rialto. I remember some of the lead up. The mission's gone from my memory. I remember being angry about it; I know the details of it. But I can't remember the event at all." He rubbed his neck, awkward. "Actually, there are a few snippets. I think I remember Fio talking to us, and Moira calling me and Gabe adorable. But like, I know I was there when Gabriel shot Antonio, but I can't remember that at all."

Genji sat beside him, listening, and he let out a breath, relaxing. "I… can relate." He admitted, quiet, like he was afraid of sharing that weakness. "Many of my injuries…led to blood loss, and the damage to my chest led to a lot of difficulties breathing. And a lack of oxygen to the 'soft squishy bits,' as you called it, can do a lot of damage." He paused, licking his lips. "That was before Angela had to do brain surgery, even. I remember most things, but… the years from when I was 20 to 23 are completely gone. More than that, too."

Jesse had never known, he was certain of it. Otherwise Genji wouldn't be there now, telling him this. "It's…frustrating," Jesse confided, letting himself match that vulnerability. "Sometimes I don't even feel like the same person anymore."

"Brain damage can lead to personality changes and a pronounced impact on your ability to regulate your emotions." Genji recited, calmly. "I'm surprised Angela didn't tell you all that."

"She was a wreck back then, she didn't know what to do with me. I barely let her give me a physical, let alone a psych eval." He muttered, quiet. "Speaking of, I should call her. Let her know I'm alright."

He dialed her number, rubbing Gabriel's smoke to calm himself, feeling strange and out of sorts from being that vulnerable with Genji. "Put her on speaker." Genji suggested. "I'd like to say hi as well."

McCree shrugged, and did so easily. Angela picked up after the first ring. "McCree!" Ashe's voice came through, a bit worried. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Running from cops, the usual." Jesse drawled easily. "Why've you got Angie's phone, calamity?"

"She's in the shower." She muttered, quiet. "What the fuck happened?"

Jesse looked to Genji, who raised an eyebrow, equally as curious as to the events that made him hang up.

"I was on a train going towards the gorge, planning on getting Echo, and I saw Talon board the train. They were using Blackwatch tactics. They were gonna kill everyone on board. So I intervened." He rubbed his neck, awkward. "Cops blamed me in spite of multiple statements."

"And how about Reyes?" She asked, collecting herself. "Wasn't that his old crew?"

"I'd already had to deal with him," Jesse admitted, quiet, "Genji called, and said something that made him go a little psycho. But Jack wasn't there to help me rein him in. He's stronger than me. I drugged him with one of the things Sombra gave me, and he went out like a light. Issue is, he's still out. I'd appreciate if Angela could give me a second opinion before I call Sombra."

"She's in the shower," Ashe repeated, unhelpful. "Answer your phone when we call back. Good to hear you're alive."

"Tell Angela that Genji's with me. We're all fine here. I'm calling folks that called me in order of urgency. If I don't answer I'm on the phone with people who called almost as much as her. Namely, Rein, Torb, Fareeha, then Jack, Ana, and you, and I guess one from Sombra? It's an unknown number."

"Gotta say, McCree, you weren't bad lookin' in Blackwatch." Ashe intoned, and McCree made a grimace at the same time Genji coughed. "I'll let Angela know. The news has finally stopped broadcasting your face; records still show that you were KIA years ago, so they've moved on. They're theorizing other culprits. Favorite one so far is Soldier 76 himself, but they've pointed out he was last spotted in the Middle East."

"Are you eating popcorn?" Jesse commented, making a face at the noise from the other end.

"We were about to turn on a movie. I talked her down from her panic. You're a cockroach, you are."

"Something like that." Jesse agreed tiredly, sighing. "Talk to you later, Ashe."

Genji made a confused noise after the line was hung up, and Jesse rubbed his neck. "She's, well, she _was_ Deadlock. My old best friend. She wound up joining up with us," He explained, awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands, and just fidgeting with the comm. "Guess she must have liked Angela. She decided to stay with her, keep an eye on her."

He texted Reinhardt, and then Torbjorn, confirming he was alright, and no, he didn't hijack a train and steal something from it. He called Fareeha, but only got her voicemail, and he just left her a short one to confirm the same thing.

Jack actually answered, and McCree winced at the tone. "What happened?" He growled, and Jesse shifted on the floor, sitting next to Gabriel's body, the man still worryingly vacant.

"Talon attacked a train I was on. I intervened. Killed a bunch. They were after some kinda purple cube. They were ex-Blackwatch. I knew from the tactics that if they didn't get the box they were gonna keep coming, and they wouldn't lose the second time." He reported, slipping back into that persona. "Gabriel was already mentally compromised, and he is still safely managed."

"Any idea what they were after was?" Jack asked, concerned, and Jesse huffed.

"No, unfortunately not. It was pretty big, came up to my knees. No idea what it was, like I said. Best guess I could give would be infinity stone, and that's a cop out."

"It might ring a bell to somebody." Jack gruffly stated, and Jesse made a noise of agreement. "Stay safe, I'm sure your phone already blew up once today, but it looks like the news cycle has eliminated you as a potential suspect."

"Heard, and keep that in mind yourselves, Jack." He clicked the phone shut, and let out a shuddering sigh, falling back onto the floor, staring up at the beige tone of the roof. "Aren't popcorn ceilings illegal now?"

Genji looked up, and shrugged. "If people can get away with it, most won't change." He murmured, tone a bit dark.

Jesse sat up, looked back down at the phone and then to Gabriel, and sighed. "Do you reckon it's worth contacting my Talon contact over Gabe's condition?"

"Were the drugs from them?" Genji asked, and with a firm nod, Genji snorted. "Obviously, then."

He groaned, before he gave in, and called the mysterious number.

" _Hello_ , _vulture,"_ Sombra said in Spanish, humming, having answered the phone near instantly. "Made the news today. You're ever so lucky that you've got someone willing to pull a few strings for you."

That was a flex, but he wasn't going to even address it. Jesse _refused_ to feed into her ego. "Gabe had an attack today. Gave him one of the injections you'd handed over, and now he's not snapping out of it."

"Ah. That one, huh?" She tsked, seeming bored. "You should be more careful with what you give him, I certainly didn't pay attention to what I stole out of the labs."

"I was low on options. He was about to attack me, and right before Talon ran into us." Jesse defended himself, irritable at her lack of explanation of this before things happened. "Wasn't like he came with warning labels or an instruction manual."

Sombra chuckled lowly. "I'll be there shortly. He's likely waiting for a reset, and as Reaper doesn't know you yet, he won't respond."

"You're in the area?" Jesse boggled at the thought, and Sombra laughed.

"Who do you think was spearheading the assault on that train? Have to hand it to you, riding on top of a hypertrain? Badass aesthetic. I can respect that." She mused, before hanging up.

Jesse pulled the phone away from his ears, and looked down at it, hesitant, before putting it away.

He'd understood that there was a line, thin and made of smoke, maybe, but a _line_ between Gabriel Reyes and Reaper. But to be faced with it directly was very jarring. Jesse hadn't dealt with Reaper since very early on since he'd joined Jesse, Jack and Ana, and Gabriel had always bounced back fast.

If nothing else, he'd always responded to Jesse. Now he's blank and empty on the floor, a far cry from anything else he'd seen so far.

"I take it we're expecting company." Genji dryly noted, and it snapped Jesse out of his fog.

"It seems that way." Jesse agreed, leaning back on his arms. "She said he needed a reset, and he doesn't recognize me yet. No, I've got no idea what she meant by that."

"Maybe it was a joke about your comment, talking about instruction manuals."

Ah. That made sense. He winced at having missed the joke.

XXXXX

They waited an hour, but it was already late, and after a full stomach and some additional talk about what they both recalled, (or didn't recall, in some cases, like the time they pretended to be on dates in Hanamura, when Genji had been a contact and not an agent) they gave into sleep. Genji took the bed, and Jesse laid his ass down on the couch, Gabriel stretched out on top of him, held close out of worry.

It was another 3 hours before a sharp nail poked him.

"Vulture, get up." She seemed impatient. "I can't untangle him from you."

He groaned, glanced at the flashing red digits on the clock. "It's past midnight."

"A girl had work to finish before she could come play, what did you expect?" She sighed, but grabbed Gabriel as soon as Jesse relinquished him, turning his chin from side to side.

"Truth be told, I don't actually know if this will work. I've read enough reports on Reaper to assume that in the case of an accident in the field, they'd cleared me, but all the same. If it doesn't, don't be mad."

Jesse balked at the idea that he'd contacted her, and she might not even be able to help.

"Boss," Sombra urged, tone flattening out, seeming irritated. "Get up, now's not the time to be old."

It was as though someone turned the light switch back on, and Gabriel sat up on his own. He growled, and Sombra chuckled, nodding at the red, glowing eyes that found her. "There we are." She pulled out a card, sighing. "Alright, business, though. Due to circumstances surrounding your last mission, we've changed your handler to a new individual, and I'm supposed to tell you about the winter solstice." She turned Gabriel's head as she said that, the man allowing the manhandling in spite of his expression, and they looked at Jesse together. "Jesse McCree is your handler."

This seemed to war with Gabriel's mind, and he tilted his head at Jesse, incredulous, before he turned back to Sombra. "Is, is he real?" Reaper asked her, seeming to trust her first.

"The real deal." Sombra confirmed, ruffling his hair, Reaper giving her a flat expression but allowing the motion. " _Awh, you're cute like this."_ Sombra praised in Spanish. "Regardless, you break him, you'll be in trouble. I don't think you'll want to break him, though, considering that he's McCree."

"Didn't McCree die?" Reaper asked, confused, rubbing his head, and Sombra shrugged.

"You can ask him about it. I was just supposed to transfer you over." Sombra gave a dramatic sigh, before crossing her arms. "Anyways, you've sustained some damage and it's been a minute since you've been this bare bones, I'm sure you can guess. Even if McCree seems to be going against protocol, you're to follow his orders before them."

Reaper nodded mutely, blindly accepting her direction.

Is this what they'd done to him? Left Gabriel to rot in a mental prison? Jesse felt sick, but Gabriel didn't move, letting Sombra move him from side to side as though checking for injuries.

"Man, I'd seen _pieces_ of this, especially looking back at footage, but now I wonder why they bothered to clear me at all, considering I'd never seen the extent of this before." Sombra hummed, and Reaper shifted in her grasp, looking at McCree intently, as though trying to see if he was really there or not.

"In case of emergency." Reaper explained, as she finally released him. "In other words, if Moira died on a mission, or you and I were inaccessible. If I got stuck, she wanted to have options."

"Well, that makes sense." She put the card away. "Anyway, you seem to be in one piece, take care of him, Gabe. As any information you have is outdated, I'll take care of reporting in." She turned to McCree, all easy smiles and sharp eyes. "And you- don't do anything I wouldn't do. He should be fine by morning so long as you don't mess with him."

She patted his shoulder as she walked forward, passing him by calmly, heading out the door while Reaper stared at him from the floor, finally seeming to notice that he wasn't wearing a mask or his old outfit.

Jesse swallowed thickly as the clothes swirled around Gabriel as he reformed himself in Talon's image. Mask and all.

Genji had likely been awake the entire time, but he was only now rising, tense as he watched Reaper turn around, mask up, yet Reaper did nothing as he looked to Jesse.

It hit him bodily that he held Reaper in his hands now. That was why Sombra had given him this. Gabriel had long been willing to let Jesse lead, it was always Reaper that needed convincing, cajoling.

Somehow, it felt wrong when Jesse walked forward, and helped Reaper up off the floor, wrong that he'd sent the man here of all places. Gabriel had clawed every step forward himself, and he'd mostly been able to deal with Reaper, long enough that Gabriel would wake up and take control.

Gabriel wasn't snapping out of it now. Where there'd been smoke, and a thin separation before, there now seemed to be a wall.

"Jesse?" Reaper said, claws reaching out, as though that one touch wasn't enough. "You're alive?"

He swallowed again, as he pulled Gabriel's body into a tight hug, hating that he had to break Gabriel's heart a third time over with the revelation he'd survived. Hating more that he had to break his own heart with the revelation he'd left Gabriel to the wolves, and this was what they'd done to him.

"Yeah," He whispered, voice already watery. "Let's…sit down. I'll…explain it as many times as you need, Gabe."

"You've already told me once, I guess?" Reaper shifted in the hold, eventually hugging back as Jesse nodded. "It'll be alright if you don't." Reaper said, and Jesse swallowed his pain.

"Nah, I can tell you again. Let's…lay down, alright? It won't take long."

"I should be recovered by tomorrow morning." Reaper explained his thought process, standing stock straight still, refusing to move. "I just need to devote the time to it."

Jesse released him, and stared at the man owlishly, as Gabriel had really never had turned him down before. Reaper seemed to not know what to do with him.

"Alright." Jesse said, quiet. "If that's what you want."

"What I want?" Reaper tilted his head at Jesse. "I thought you would need me at top condition so that we can continue on with our mission." He shifted, quiet, "I assumed something happened that hindered progress, and led to my current state. We must be behind schedule."

Reaper was a well-oiled machine, and he didn't know how to get his hands in that. "There's no schedule like you're thinking," Jesse disagreed. "What do you want?"

Red eyes stared at him, empty. Claws opened and closed, before he slowly removed the gauntlets, and like an alien foreign to the concept, he moved onto the couch beside Jesse, and watched him again. "I don't know." He murmured, quiet. "You probably need sleep. I'll keep watch."

Reaper looked at Genji, and then back to Jesse, and nodded as if to confirm that. "Like I said…I should be fully restored by the morning."

It felt strange, not having Gabriel at his side. Ever since recovering him, it'd felt like they'd never been apart, and now there was a bigger separation than there had been before.

"We don't need to keep watch, Gabriel." The man visibly shuddered at the name, red eyes finding brown. "We're safe here. You should get some rest yourself."

"Are you certain?" He asked, glancing to Genji again, seeming suspicious. "Shimada briefly attempted to kill me following your presumed demise."

That was…something he'd not heard about. Jesse looked to Genji like the younger man had grown a fresh set of limbs. Genji seemed to be looking anywhere but them. Gabriel had never divulged such a thing before, but he understands forgetting certain details years after the fact unless suddenly faced with them.

"If he lays a hand on you and you didn't start it," Jesse started, before he faltered. Technically, Gabriel started this a while ago, but he wouldn't get into those details, not with Gabriel's mind apparently…fragile. "Well, no one here's going to attack you, or myself. So you can sleep too."

He gestured to the area beside him, and Gabriel stared owlishly at him, red eyes confused.

Again, the fingers curl into themselves, his natural talons now scraping against his skin rather than leather.

Jesse slowly reached forward, and wrapped a hand around his fist, squeezing his tense hand, rubbing the blackened skin near his fingers. "It's okay Gabe." He reassures. "It's okay if you want me. I want you too."

Gabriel's fist relented, and Jesse entangled their fingers. "I've got you back, Gabe. I ain't going anywhere. I know what I want. You can figure out what you want too." Gabriel's thumb rubbed against the meat of his palm, thoughtful, and Jesse slowly lay back down, closing his eyes as he broke the handhold.

"Night, Gabe. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Jesse," Reaper said back to him, voice soft, thoughtful in the darkness.

XXXXX

He wasn't surprised when he woke up with arms full of smoke that was loosely shaped like Gabriel. Most mornings began with that, and so he ruffled the loose tendrils of smoke that quickly solidified into hair upon being disturbed.

"That's honestly quite disturbing." Genji spoke, and sent both Jesse and Reaper tumbling out of bed, the two of them reaching for their guns at the exact same time, a hellfire shotgun materializing as Jesse drew peacekeeper, the two of them pointing it to a very shocked Genji in sync.

The tension broke in an instant as Jesse remembered the night before, rolling onto his side. Gabriel remained tense for a moment longer, before he followed Jesse's lead, groaning as he rubbed his forehead and rolled onto his back.

"Jess, what the fuck'd you do to my _head_?" He groaned, removing the Reaper mask with ease, and Jesse felt relief wash over him at seeing familiar reddish brown eyes giving him a look of vague irritation.

"Mornin, Genji." Jesse waved in lieu of answering that, and Reyes lifted a hand off the floor to wave hello as well.

"Always drama with you two, isn't it?" Genji asked, green visor unimpressed with the show. "You won't point guns at me every morning, will you?"

"He's coming with us?" Gabriel asked him, seeming annoyed, and Jesse nodded.

Jesse rolled upwards, and placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward against them, huffing as he looked around for wherever his hat had wound up. "Yeah, and also, maybe…not for more than a few days though. In our defense, Jack tried somethin more than once."

"The strike commander tried something?" Genji asked, unimpressed with the explanation.

"Ex strike commander. He choked me out, I'll have you know." Jesse scoffed. "Asshole."

"Asshole," Gabriel echoed, lying on the floor, quiet before he grunted and sat up with Jesse. "Though, that was once. He picked plenty of fights with me way after that."

"Still, no shooting Genji." Jesse told him firmly. "He came to help ah…after enlightening me to the danger I'd put myself in?"

"Did he talk you out of getting Echo?" Gabriel asked hopefully, and Jesse snorted, pushing Gabriel's shoulder hard enough to hopefully shake the thought away.

"Hell no. Just…reminded me that we were on our own. We ran into Talon after your stint yesterday afternoon trying to destroy my _phone_."

Gabriel hissed at the memory, rubbing his head, smoke leaking out of him and settling on the floor. " _Fuck_." He looked to Jesse, and to Genji, frankly, sheepish at recalling his actions. "Are you alright, Jesse?" He confirmed, hopeful, and Jesse nodded, finding his hat behind the couch and setting it back on his head.

"Yeah, you didn't hurt me." Jesse waved the concern away easily. "Talon's goons weren't expecting me, and Sombra came by after clearing up my presence on the news. Wound up a bit scraped, a lil' migraine, but it's all fine after some rest. Do you remember what set you off?"

Gabriel looked to Genji, and his eyes glowed a bit, as if the emotions were still fresh. "Shimada did." He gruffly explained, looking to Jesse and forcibly shaking his head, as though to clear it.

"Right." Jesse muttered, thoughtlessly reaching out to Gabriel and rubbing his shoulder to remind him he wasn't in this alone. Gabriel's chest rumbled with pleasure, while Genji looked away. There was absolutely something going on here, but Jesse didn't have a single idea as to what had happened between the two of them, and why they were both acting like this. They'd worked together before, many times over.

He sighed, looking down at the floor. "So, we need to get to Arizona fast if we're gonna get Echo. Y'all up for a road trip?"

Genji lifted his rental car keys up, giving Gabriel and him a long look, before stating the obvious, if somewhat offensive truth. "I'm not getting into a car with you two unless you both shower."

Jesse gave him a lopsided smile, and Gabriel huffed as he smoked towards the linoleum flooring of the motel's bathroom.

XXXXX

The shower head's too short for them, and so Jesse sits in the tub awkwardly, Gabriel held against him, both men quiet as Jesse washes away grime. It's not their first time sharing a shower, and it definitely won't be their last. Most times, though, there was something a little more…erotic about it.

While the noises Gabriel made absolutely were erotic, the motions Jesse was making absolutely weren't.

If he had known Gabriel liked having Jesse massage his scalp, he'd have done it a long time ago. Still, he was a bit pink. "You know, Genji can definitely hear us."

Gabriel's chest rumbled affirmatively. "So? It's not like we're doing anything bad." His expression gave off the appearance of a contented cat, minus the water.

"You like him being jealous." Jesse realized, slowly, and Gabriel huffed, looking away.

"He's always been so obvious about it to me." Gabriel grumbled. "He mooned after you, but when you were looking at him, he always acted out. Now we don't have to hide _anything_ , and he lost his chance. Again." He punctuated that with a pleased chuckle, before leaning back against Jesse, quiet.

"I never noticed." Jesse murmured. "My impression of him was that he had a thing for Angela and a thing against me."

Gabriel snorted. "His thing against you was that you were fucking me."

"Did he actually try to choke you out?" Jesse asked, unable to help himself.

The man froze in the tub, but he eventually nodded, quiet. "It wasn't a good day." He muttered, keeping focused on Jesse being there and not Genji's bereaved rage in his mind. "I wondered what might have happened if he'd just stayed in Blackwatch. I insinuated as such to him, and he lashed out at me, blaming me directly for the events that day."

Jesse quickly realized when that was.

The day he'd died.

"Is that why you, uh, lost control?" Jesse asked, and Gabriel nodded after a moment.

"I know you're here. I can feel you, I can see you." He made a helpless noise, pained. "I still find myself thinking that you're gone. And if you're gone, there's someone to blame. And once I'm there, it's so easy to fall back into that line of thought, that you're why I'm in Talon. To get revenge for myself, for you." He breathed out smoke, and Jesse grounded him with a reassuring hand rubbing circles into Gabriel's lower back, the two of them ignoring Gabriel's many implants in the quiet moment together.

"I won't let you go again, Gabe." Jesse reassured. "You should know that by now. I'm stubborn as all get out, y'all aint getting rid of me just yet."

Gabriel leaned into his space as Jesse rinsed him off, squeezing him tight. "You better not." He said, letting Jesse have the remaining hot water to wash himself down.

XXXXX

Genji's rental was shockingly nice, considering that he'd probably been clocked immediately as an omnic. Jesse whistled. "Am I driving, or are you?" He asked, and Genji shrugged easily.

"We can do it in two shifts. Deadlock Gorge is all the way in Arizona, right?"

Jesse nodded, calm. "Right, you've never been there, huh." He rubbed his neck, sheepish. "Well, what we're gonna have to do is hop on Route 66, and head straight West. Deadlock Gorge is hard to find these days unless you're familiar with it. It's gotta be like a 20 hour drive."

"So we've got to go." Genji understood at once, getting in the front seat. You can drive the second half. I want to enjoy being behind the drivers seat for a moment."

Jesse looked at Gabriel, who slid into the back without complaint, red eyes watching them both wearily, as Jesse hopped in shotgun, rolling down a window to lean out. "Gotta say, I've always preferred the drive on a motorcycle."

"Beggars can't be choosers." Genji refuted, and Jesse snorted.

"It's okay to admit you ain't got a clue how to ride one," Jesse teased, and Genji grumbled next to him, starting the ignition. The car hummed to life, and Genji gave him a goading look.

"You said 20 hours, right? Lets see how much time we can shave off that."

"Oh, you're on." Jesse grinned, turning on the radio with a few button presses as the trio left Houston, for a shitty car ride in the heat of the American Southwest.

XXXXX

They make it to the state border between New Mexico and Texas before Jesse calls it quits. They'd had a few stops at gas stations to fix up the rental, grab some food, while Jesse and Genji took bathroom breaks.

"We're stopping here for now, we'll take a quick nap, and then we'll keep heading west."

"Don't we have all of New Mexico to go through?" Genji asked, sitting on top of the rental truck, Jesse having handed up the shitty takeout food they'd just purchased upon finding that the local inn had closed up shop due to a lack of business. Another victim of progress, he supposed, but it still hurt to come home and see again how much the world continued to move on without him.

"I'm tired of your driving." Jesse huffed, laying down against the metal and looking up at the stars. "Beginning to understand why your folks revoked your license."

Genji scoffed, and elbowed McCree hard enough that the burrito almost fell out of his hands. "I'll have you know I didn't get a single fine growing up, unlike someone."

"That's 'cause your folks paid their way out of you getting them." Jesse made a face, licking up where fillings had spilled out the side from where he'd squeezed it a little too hard. "Didn't have folks to help. Hitchhiking past a certain age got dicey. So maybe I stole a few rides, but it was better than trying my luck with a sleazebag into teenage boys when I had a hundred somethin' mile between me and the next city." He wrapped the burrito up, already full. "And then later Ashe didn't even know how to drive, not until I taught her how to ride a motorcycle."

Gabriel was awful quiet, facing where the sun had vanished to the west.

"Of the two of you, McCree only got one ticket in his time with Blackwatch." He eventually piped in. "And it was a parking ticket."

Genji scoffed. "You didn't let me drive."

"Your record prior to becoming a full agent spoke for itself." Gabriel muttered. "Also, I don't think I can eat this."

"You can put it away if you're not hungry." Jesse reassured. "Hey, put mine back in the bag too."

"I'm hungry…I'm just carsick." Gabriel's expression finally cracked, revealing a subtle grin, making Jesse choke on laughter, and Genji sigh, falling back hard enough for the car to wobble midair, the noise of metal on metal echoing around them in the night.

"Besides, the mountains are coming up." Gabriel eventually stated, trying to soothe Genji's ruffled feathers. "I wouldn't even trust myself to drive through them at night. But Jesse here," He gestured to the man, obviously expecting an explanation from the source.

Jesse gave a long, put upon sigh. "I was a weapons dealer and a drug runner," He reminded Genji, who was now officially interested in the story, whether because he'd not heard about it before, or because it meant the teasing was off of him. "I know this mountain range blindfolded and in reverse. There were plenty of missions where, if we needed wheels on the ground, I was the person to go to. Always had a knack for getting myself around difficult terrain, but on my home turf, I'm uncatchable."

"We had to be real careful to make sure the sting took place in the Deadlock Gorge itself." Gabriel recalled, snorting. "Had to be sure that there were miles of desert between anywhere they'd be able to hide."

"I like to think I gave y'all a run for your money." Jesse grumbled, only partly able to remember anything about the bust.

"You did!" Gabriel snorted. "Why did you think Ana and I wanted you in the first place? We both could see you had talent."

"I might remember being told I was a no good goddamned sunvabitch but I had an unearthly skill with my lil' six shooter." Jesse poked back, and Genji snorted at the wording, while Gabriel winced at the memory.

"Is that really what we said to you?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"I can't imagine the Captain being that mean." Genji hummed, interested.

"Oh boy, the Captain was real rough with me." Jesse grumbled. "She really smoothed out over the years. Softened up." He waved a hand. "Granted, she was _real_ put upon when Fareeha coaxed out my real age."

"He had gotten fake documents that we didn't find out were fake until later analysis." Gabriel grumbled, obviously still a bit irritated at having the wool pulled down over his eyes.

"Again, I was tired of hitchhiking!" Jesse exclaimed. "So I said I was 16 when I was 13, so what, 3 years hardly made a world of difference by the time y'all caught me."

"So how old was McCree when he became part of Blackwatch?" Genji asked, and Gabriel grunted.

"He turned 18 after the bust. We thought he'd been celebrating his 21st birthday."

"I was old enough for the army, and I'd been drinking and smoking for about the same amount of time as I'd had the title to my motorbike."

"How'd he have such a good fake?" Genji hummed, and Gabriel rolled his eyes, shrugging as he looked to McCree."

"I met Ashe." He revealed, and Genji nodded, understandingly. "She paid for someone to make them. Paid good money too, replaced most of my official records."

"Granted, it was less replacing and more like reporting. It was damn hard to find any of your actual records after we did figure out the deception."

Jesse rubbed his neck. "I might have been one of those kids that, because of the remoteness of my folks' place, no one really had good records on me, especially after the crisis."

"The crisis did tend to do that." Gabriel allowed, sighing. "Still, remembering it feels like a lifetime ago. You eventually shaped up into a good agent."

Jesse scoffed, kicking Gabriel lightly, the man almost getting knocked off the hood of the truck. "I was a _great_ agent, Gabriel. Even when I was being a complete shithead. My attitude never got in the way of jack shit, unlike Genji here."

"You know, I feel like I always heard more about the McCree attitude than I ever saw, Venice notwithstanding as, well, frankly Reyes, you earned that."

"The lip on Jesse McCree almost got him fired at least 10 times in his first month of service, and it was only because Ana was so damn boggled by Deadeye that he wasn't sent to jail."

"I did send a night in a Swiss prison," Jesse recalled vaguely, sheepish. "I forget what I said, but I know I got in Morrison's shit."

"Couple of expletives, followed by a few insults about a receding hairline, shortly followed by a few rude gestures and the implication that he was, as I recall it, 'such a shit shot it's a wonder he managed to find the right hole', followed up by a quick quip that that must be why I wouldn't let him bone me. Granted, he'd tagged you on a mission, but equally granted was that he was coming over to help you."

He shook his head. "Ana and I were furious with him. You were rough around the edges, but you'd taken a shot and were still fighting the same things we were, but you open your mouth to cuss him out for the mistake and he threw you into a jail cell, ready to go after you for Deadlock. We got you out, and eventually dug his head out of his ass to the point he realized how much of a fucking dickhead he'd been to you." He shook his head. "Jack eventually started to respect you, but actual appreciation for you as a person, _liking you as one_ , took a few more years."

Jesse felt his hand move over a scar in his leg, remembered the feeling of being shot like an old friend, but had no memory of the fight. No recollection of such animosity between him and Morrison either, but in hindsight, it lays neatly against the arguments between him and 76 more recently.

"I think what really pissed him off was the fact that only he seemed to care about your crimes, and everyone else thought you were charming." Gabriel leaned back. "When you were the Vulture."

Jesse's past name hits his heart like a knife. It was one thing to know implicitly that he'd been Calamity's Vulture, another entirely to have it reconnected to his crimes. The memory tugged at him, of being a 16-year-old god in the Southwest, a gun too easily held in his hand, and blood in front of him.

Too easily Rialto tugged at his mind, fuzzy except for the growing pile of bodies in front of him, all over an execution carried out by Reyes beside him.

McCree rubbed his forehead, pensive at the malformed memories.

"I've heard that named tossed around a lot." Genji said, slowly, and Reyes and McCree looked at him again, both having forgotten he was there, a voyeur to their story. "But I never understood what it meant. My father called me Sparrow as an insult, I'll admit I thought that Vulture was something similar to McCree."

"It's no insult." McCree murmured. "If Ashe was Calamity, I was her harbinger." His hand slid down his side, landing on his shoulder. "Her Vulture."

"When Deadlock was big, there were four leaders, each of which had it's own callsign and behaviors. Calamity was someone to cause a lot of chaos when she hit towns. Vultures, though, they oversee a lot of death. Known for tracking down stragglers and finishing them off." Gabriel continued, voice quiet, eyes intent on Jesse, as though watching for his reaction.

Jesse hated that he couldn't recall that outside of the sensation of the sun beating down on his back and a gun too easily held in his hands and blood before him, a body missing its face- the violence so close to him that it wasn't even second nature, it was just his nature.

"I think that's enough storytelling for now." Jesse weakly put up his hands, hiding his shaken core with a smile he plastered on his face by force of will to not be caught in his weakness. "I'm sure Echo of all people has a lot of good stories about me. Back in the car. Gabe, you take shotgun, Genji, sleep in the back."

They were 200 miles into New Mexico, both Genji and Gabriel long since having fallen asleep, when it hit Jesse that he definitely owed Morrison a punch in the nose when they saw each other again.

It wasn't just Blackwatch's playbook the man had coopted and eagerly started using.

It was McCree's- the very thing Morrison had hated for so long.

His fingers gripped tight around the steering wheel, and he let himself get lost in the trees and mountains that were the gateway to the rest of the desert rather than focus any harder on the unhappy history he'd- to this point- had lost, eroded away entirely.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed this! I'd love to know if ya did.


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